While the boys in fifth grade follow their usual schedules, the girls are detached from classes, 72 fifth grade girls from Jorge-Semprun Middle School spent the afternoon of March 31st at the Jean-Laville stadium in Gueugnon, for Women’s Football for School, a program aimed at strengthening the place of football in school.
“A half-day of discovering a football activity through simple and accessible exercises for everyone. To flourish and discover football, which is not a sport reserved for boys,” explains Michel Martin, FCG coordinator and sports section referee. The fifth graders were supervised by the eight fourth grade girls enrolled in the school’s sports section.
The second year of an initiative that showed good results last year, “after the first edition, we went from two to about ten female students in the sports section,” said Gregory Cayon, director of Jorge-Semprun Middle School.
“At 14, three times more girls are attracted to sports compared to boys”
After the sports activities, the students gathered in the Bourgogne lounge of the stadium to attend a masterclass by Alexandra Collin, a 31-year-old physiotherapist and international football referee. “I started playing football at 6 and refereeing at 13, by chance.”
Alexandra Colin had the girls stand up: “Those who think it is possible to balance sports and studies, please sit down.” To her surprise, all of them sat down.
“Even though ‘studies are not organized to continue sports,’ she encourages it, even if it is not at a high level. In fact, according to UN Women, “80% of female CEOs on the Fortune 500 list participated in sports during their training years.”
“But at the same time, ‘at 14, three times more girls are attracted to sports compared to boys.'”
“Sports also bring value to everyday life”
Sport has brought a lot to Alexandra Collin: “Resilience, teamwork, perseverance, organization, emotion management, entrepreneurship, and management.” But for her, the main benefit is discovery. “I have traveled a lot, especially to countries I would never have visited, like Kazakhstan. And on an American air base.”
Sport has been a stepping stone to success for Alexandra Collin, both in refereeing and physiotherapy, which she continues to practice, even if “the salary I receive for refereeing allows me to stop. I am preparing for my future career, when refereeing ends, I will be 100% a physiotherapist.” This serves as a reminder that the careers of professional athletes are uncertain.
